Less smoke could mean more fire in Washington state

“Today, we’re lucky”, said Todd Pechota, commander of the interagency team fighting the fires.

“If people want to help, we’d like them to contact our coordinators so we can work on getting them safely and appropriately involved”, said Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.

A fire burning on Glacier National Park’s southern boundary near the town of Essex stayed relatively in check despite strong winds Friday. Almost 30,000 firefighters and support staff were battling blazes across a handful of mainly western US states, officials said August 18, after millions of acres and multiple buildings have burned.

But The Associated Press reported that the flames were moving away from the population centers in Okanogan County.

TWISP, Wash. (AP) – The massive cloud of smoke is expected to lift over Washington wildfires on Sunday, but as air quality improves fire behavior could become more erratic and intense, fire officials said.

The Okanogan Complex has burned numerous structures, but the situation is so chaotic in the huge county that officials have no estimate on how many have burned.

Steve Surgeon, a mechanic and scrap metal seller who lost everything he owns except for his home on the outskirts of Okanogan, said he was just happy to be alive.

“That’ll take weeks”, Rogers said. Four others were injured in the canyon, one critically. An untold number of homes and businesses have been destroyed and hundreds of residents displaced statewide.

Australia and New Zealand are sending firefighters to help battle wildfires burning in the western United States.

She did not release any details about the firefighter’s identity or the extent of the injuries.

The man is an employee of the state Department of Natural Resources, agency spokesman Bob Redling said. His name was not released. Another had graduated and wanted to make firefighting his career.

Three firefighters – Tom Zbyszewski, Richard Wheeler and Andrew Zajac – died Wednesday when flames consumed their crashed vehicle as they tried to escape the fire.

“An easterly wind direction has transported that smoke west of the Cascades”, the Weather Service said. Upon completion of the orientation, they will be assigned to large fires.

Firefighters should get a break in the weather Saturday. In one instance, where a spot fire started, heavy- equipment crews were able to jump on dozers and put out the burn, according to Pechota.

Flory says the good news is that less smokes means restrictions on air travel will be lifted and more fire tankers can fly over and drop water and chemical retardant.

The three firefighters who died were based in Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, forest spokeswoman Carrie McCausland said.

After a week rife with red-flag warnings, Stratton sounded more hopeful. About 1,000 people remained evacuated on Saturday, but sheriff’s deputies were escorting some residents to check on their properties, said Brian Lawatch, a fire information officer for the team fighting the blaze. It also now includes the Black Creek and McFarland fires.

“The fire is still hot on numerous edges”, he said.

The nearby Wolverine fire ran about three miles south into the Entiat River area near Larch Lake.

The weather on Sunday is supposed to be warmer and drier with winds 7 to 9 miles per hour in the Chelan area, Patterson said.

No structures have been lost, but more than 2,000 are threatened, Davis said.

That fire is zero percent contained. Infrared mapping found the fires spread about 19 square miles Saturday evening.

What’s happening with the Okanogan Complex Fire?